Pay it Forward 2016

Gary, Thanks very much for the pay it forward card.

It did  not take me long to decide how I was going to use. Our niece had 24  week preemie twins (a boy and a girl). They were born September the 12th and are still in the hospital. The little boy has had one surgery and weights around 3 pds. The little girl will be needing surgery in the near future. There are two other children at home, a daughter who is 7 and a 3 year old son. As you can image their expenses are astronomical. I am sure the gift will be greatly appreciated. If you wanted to follow their progress on facebook, her name is *[NAME REDACTED].

~ R&J B.

 

The Christmas season is upon us... so remember when you were a child and you came down Christmas morning excited to open all of your gifts from Santa.  We certainly do remember the thrill of it all, and how fortunate we were then and now.  We also thought about those less fortunate and about those kids who do not experience the same thrill we had on those Christmas mornings.  We decided to use the Pay it Forward card to purchase a dozen gifts for boys and girls and delivered them to the local Toys for Tots reception center to help bring a little cheer to some less fortunate children this Christmas.  You know, as we shopped... and for a moment... we felt  the same thrill that we had as kids on those Christmas mornings long ago.  As we handled each toy, we were so amused at our thoughts of whether an unknown little boy or girl would like it as a gift.  Overall, It was truly a gratifying experience for us and we hope for those unknown children.

Thank you Gary and all at Williams Asset Management for the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile act of kindness and charity.

Thank you to the Marine Corps Reserve for sponsoring the Toys for Tots campaign each holiday season.  and... Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

~ F&K N.

 

Merry Christmas Gary & Staff and "THANK YOU" for giving us the opportunity to participate in Pay It Forward, and the means to do it.

It took two days for us to decide which direction we'd go in. There are two things that were important to us and we decided to see if we could handle both...and we did. They are "The Elderly" and " Animals". We chose the "Cherokee Animal Rescue" here in Georgia, and the "Windsor House Assisted Living Facility" also here in Georgia. Once the decision was made then we got to work.

We gave both facilities, in their words " A Very Merry Christmas". We found out just how much need there is out there for volunteers and donations. It was IMPOSSIBLE to just use the PAY IT FORWARD card and so we added a little more :-) Yesterday we delivered our packages to the Animal Shelter. And tomorrow we've been invited to the Christmas Party at Windsor House. There are 57 residents at this time and they will not want. There's even a Christmas card for each resident. We can't wait to do this, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for choosing our name.

Merry Christmas to all.

~ G&P Z.

 

We checked with our church to see if there is a family in need this holiday season.  They gave us the name of a couple who are underemployed (he is a handyman, she a home health aide) who also have a ministry of serving the elderly in our area with visits and assistance.  We learned they could use assistance in buying supplies for their ministry, such as gasoline. We sent them the "pay it forward" gift card anonymously.

Thanks to Williams Asset Management for making this possible.

~ R&J S.

 

Gary, at the small church that I belong to, we pray for those on a long list of sick and ailing parishioners.  How to "Pay-It-Forward" became very apparent to me, a recent retiree, as I refilled a prescription for the first time in 2017 and was faced with a 15% cost increase.  Knowing that there are people in my faith community who have long-term illnesses and are faced with high medical bills, I gave the gift card to my pastor, to specifically give it to one of the ailing parishioners that he visits, to help with their medical expenses.  

Thank you Gary for an opportunity to "Pay-It-Forward" which also brings to mind the blessings we have and the many needs of those around us. Happy New Year to you and all the staff at Williams Asset Management.

~ E.C.

 

Dear Gary and Williams Asset Management family,

Because of your generosity, we greatly appreciate the opportunity to be able to give a "Pay it Forward" card to someone of our choosing.

We have selected Reverend and *[NAME REDACTED], a couple living at Bonnie Blink, our retirement home in Cockeysville. They are in their late 80's, he only this year 'retired' from serving many of his churches in far flung communities, with foods, housing, advice, and prayers and may 'pay it forward' again. Please see our attached letter.

The Reverend is still somewhat actively visiting his people in hospitals, while in and out of the hospital himself, is dealing with prostate cancer and related problems, while taking care of his wife who is ill, in a wheelchair and on oxygen. He cooks, does laundry and various apartment duties, maintains a cheerful disposition and sometimes conducts services in lieu of our resident chaplain.

This may not be the "surprise" kind of "pay it forward" act that many are able to do, but we thought it appropriate.

~ G&L R.

 

Passed it to my pastor since he receives many requests for help.

Many Thanks, and Happy New Year to all,

~ J. S.

 

The holidays were a blur. Work was busy. Family was visiting.

However, the gift card gave us the chance to slow down and think about how we could use it. We decided to purchase supplies and assemble kits that we could give to local shelters or those who might need them. The kits had a variety of items including toothbrushes, socks, bandages, peanut butter, and lotion. We were able to take a needed break from the busy holiday season to work on this family project and to talk to our daughter about some important things like compassion and empathy.

Thank you for the gift and opportunity.

~ M&K K.

 

We were grateful to be included in this generous initiative, and put thought in how we could do something really meaningful. When we learned about the terrible house fire in Baltimore, that took six children, the direction was clear. We added the card value to the family's Go Fund Me page. It's a small gesture compared to the family's loss, but happy we could contribute.

~ A&K M.

 

When I received the "Pay It Forward" gift card, I had so many ideas for it. After learning about a local program through our church,  I chose to donate this generous gift card to H.O.P.E. (He Opens Paths to Everyone).  H.O.P.E., is a non-profit organization, which supplies furniture, clothing, school supplies and many other needed items necessary to help families and individuals struggling to make ends meet and get back on their feet. When H.O.P.E receives a referral, volunteers meet with the family to assess their needs and try to offer what they can.  So far this year, H.O.P.E. is on track to help 200 local families and it has helped clothe 3,000 people each year!

A big thank you Gary and to everyone in the Williams Asset  Management family for giving me the opportunity to "Pay it Forward".

~ K. N.

 

We have enjoyed caring for many stray/feral dogs and cats over the years and greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our local no-kill shelters. We decided to sign over our gift card to the Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. The only hard part was leaving the shelter without taking another animal home with us.

~ R&S M.

 

I volunteer for a group called Sozo Kids. It services the many children who live in the Ocala National Forest. Some of these kids don't have a roof over their heads. If they have a house, they often don't have electricity or running water. Their parents are often in jail or making a living off the drug market or uneducated themselves, losing hope and ambition. The purpose of Sozo is to show the children there is another way of life and to encourage them to make more of themselves.

I gave my Pay It Forward card to the director of the mentor center where I work. She will use it to buy supplies for the center, anything from snacks to crayons, glue, and balls for playing. The children come to us after school. They're sweet children who deserve more than the life they're living. We make sure they get their homework done, teach a small lesson-different subjects every day( I teach science) and give them a safe place to be for four hours a day. You can find out more about Sozo at www.sozokids.org.

Thank you, Gary, for the privilege of doing a little more to help these children.

~ S. L.

 

Thank you for the pay it forward card. A donation  was made to Sarah's House. Sarah's House offers  emergency and transitional housing and other services for homeless families.

Thank you Gary and your staff for given us an opportunity to give back.

~ I. C.

 

Gary & Team,
Thank you for including us in the Pay It Forward initiative. What a joy!

We decided to live by the "do unto others, as you'd have them do to you" principle. So whatever we did, we used your generosity to share with someone else. We use the $100 on 3 occassions.... 1st at a family lunch, we chose another family's table to cover their meal. 2nd at a gas station, we asked a mom in a minivan if we could buy her gas for her. Finally, we asked the grocery cashier to use the balance to pay as much as the next order in line as possible. Each time, all three events brought us great joy and a very warm and grateful response from the recipients. We asked them each to do the same... pay it forward as they can.  In the craziness of our day to day lives, it was nice to stop and think of the needs of others.

~ K&K L.

 

After building a vacation home in western Maryland in early 2016 we spent many enjoyable weekends at the lake. We there also take time to explore and typically pick an area unknown to us and just travel places by turning down any road in any direction we like and see whatever the adventure brings. Back in February after driving through several economically challenged towns in West Virginia we were discussing how hard the “coal” region had been impacted due to the direction the previous administration had taken towards using coal as an energy source.  After driving past several towns, where the struggle continued, we were struck to see a “Habitat for Humanity” store just outside of Oakland, Maryland.

We stopped in to see what they did at the store. We found that they take donated furniture, repair and refinish and offer it locally to folks at very low prices. As we walked around we noticed a long line by the cash register and went up to the manager performing the transactions for the various items being purchased.  We told her we had a “pay it forward” donation and offered it to her on the spot.  The person in line who was buying a small kitchen table and two chairs was floored when the women used the donation immediately to help close the gap between the cash the women had for the purchase table and the listed price. The expression of “good fortune” in the buyer face was that of shock and thankfulness.  The manager thanked us and we quickly left.

We will be going back again in the spring to make our own donation and now realize what a great idea the “pay it forward” Holiday thought was.

~ K&M K.

 

Brown Bag Ministry is a local outreach that provides bagged lunches to the poor of our area. My wife and I volunteer with this group. We used our pay-it forward gift card to purchase individually packaged peanuts, cookies and applesauce.  The recipients of your kindness are appreciative, I'm sure.  

 Thank you for providing us the opportunity to pay--it-forward.

~ G. B.

 

With so many options for helping out, we turned to The Society of St. Wincent DePaul here in Punta Gorda, FL as an organization known for helping those in need. The President of that charity donated the card to a 64 yr old woman who is just making it on her income and the $100 will relieve a little of her financial pressure.

~ L&J M.

 

What a great idea!

We paid-it-forward to the Interfaith Coalition for Compassion.  This coalition provides small donations for people who need just a little help to keep themselves "above water."  For example one month's electric bill could be just enough because they just had an emergency but  will be able to pay their bills after this month.

~ S&S W.

 

At the beginning of the school year I will be purchasing books for a 4th grade class in Jasper County, SC. This is a very needy area of the state. For the past two years I have volunteered in the classroom as part of the Book Buddies Program. We read to the class and provide books for the children. Having books at home will encourage them to read and improve their reading skills. The children are so excited when they receive a book that now belongs to them!

Thank you to Williams Asset Management for putting a BIG Smile on their face.

~ K&D S.

 

Thank you for the $100 gift card, I was able to donated the funds to the American Red Cross for the victums that were affected by the hurricanes, in both Texas and Puerto Rico.

~ L.F.

 

There are so many causes and so many people in need, that it is hard to make a decision on where to pay it forward to. I finally decided to use the pay it forward card locally. It was used at a local pharmacy to help those who could not afford their medications.

~ C. T.

 

I was in Houston shortly after the hurricane visiting my sister. I was in an area where people had lost absolutely everything.

I came upon a women that had lost all her belongings in the hurricane and he noticed she was polishing silver. Come to find out, this was the only possession she had left. I asked why she was polishing it and she shared, so she could sell it to raise money to help others. I felt that was the perfect opportunity to use my “Pay it Forward” gift card and I gave it to the lady to help her through this devastating time.

~ J. W.

 

Thirty five books were given to below grade level readers in 4th grade.  The students were so excited to have a book of their own. This was in a needy school where I volunteer.  Your gift was greatly appreciated.

~ K&D S.